Laser Range-Gated Imagers

Laser range-gated imagers use a pulsed laser illuminator and time gating of an imaging focal plane array to localize collected photons to those within a certain range of the scene. As a result, intervening obscurants and other background clutter can often be mitigated. This entry describes the basic operation of these devices, the factors influencing performance, and modeling of performance. Examples and applications of current systems are presented